Shoe sewing machine



June 13; 1939. LEVEQUE SHOE SEWING MACHINE Filed Nov. so, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet 1 June 13, 1939. B. T. LEVEQUE SHOE SEWING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed Nov. 30, 1937 June 13, 1939. B. T. LEVEQUE SHOE SEWING MACHINEFiled Nov. 30, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 Patented June 13, 1939 SHOE SEWINGMACHINE Bernard '1. Leveqne, Wenham, M888 assignor to United ShoeMachinery Corporation, Paterson, N. 1., a corporation of New JerseyApplication November :0, 1931, Serial No. 111,243

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The present invention relates to shoe sewing machines and is designedparticularly as 'an improvement in certain features of the machinedisclosed in applicants .co-pending application Serial No. 10,621, fliedMarch 12, 1935, although the invention may be embodied to advantage inother forms of outsole shoe sewing machines. In the machine disclosed inthe application above referred to, the needle and awl are mounted tooperate permanently in a fixed plane and the work is fed by means of thepresser-foot and work support which are mounted to move in the directionof feed while in clamping engagement with the work. The machine of theapplication above referred to was designed to run at a high speed ascompared with outsole shoe sewing machines in commercial use. and it wasfound that when operating at this high speed upon certain classes ofwork, difliculty was experienced in securing a uniform feed without theuse of a clamping pressure sufliciently heavy to mar the work. Toobviate this diiflculty, the machine has been provided with a workpiercing implement to move in the direction of feed while through thework, and supplement the feeding action of the presser 25 foot and worksupport. The awl is conveniently utilized as such' an implement and afeature of the invention consists in the simple and emcienti stitch maybe varied through adjustment of the 35 work feeding devices. The machineis also provided with a work channelling knife and a feature of thepresent invention relates to connections between the feed adjustment andthe channelling knife, whereby the knife, although normally stationaryduring a sewing operation, is properly positioned with relation to thestitch formingdevices, regardless of the stitch length- Other featuresof the invention consist of a 45 simple and accurate construction forthe stitch forming and work feeding devices, and certain other novelcombinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described andparticularly defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating so much of an outsole shoesewing machine as is necessary for an understanding of the severalfeatures of the present invention, Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation,taken in section on a line ll 55 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a View in frontelevation; Fig. 3

(Cl. flit-48) is a plan view partly in section, viewed in the ydirection of line 33.of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detail view of the stitchforming devices, taken partly in section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5is aside view, looking from the left, of the stitch forming devices;Fig. 6 is a detail view similar to Fig. 4, but showing the parts in adifferent position; Fig.

'l is a detail view of the awl and mounting therefor taken in section online I-'-'I. of Fig. 3; Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view on line 8-8 ofFig. 3; m Fig. 9 is a section on line 9-9 of Fig. 5; Fig. 10 is a planview of the forward end of the work support illustrating the position ofthe work feeding, stitching and channelling devices at the limit ofback'feed; andIFig. 11 is a view similar to 15 :Fig. 10 but showing-theparts when adjusted for "a difierent length of feed. I I

The work feeding mechanism illustrated in the drawings is similarto thatof applicants pending application in which the work is fedintermittently by the co-operating action of a work support and apresser-foot, the work support and presser foot being arranged to engagerespectively with the welt and outsole of a shoe. The pressure-foot isindicated at l 2 and the work sup- 5 port at II. The presser-foot issecured to the forwardly extending arm of a presser-foot lever it andthe work support is rigidly secured to an arm IS. The lever I8 ispivotallymounted at on a feed carriage in the form of a slide 22arranged for advancing and retracting movements in guides 24 and 26. Thework support arm I8 is secured to the slide 22. The slide isreciprocated by an adjustable toggle motion which is fully disclosed inmy co-pending application above referred to and which may be brieflydescribed as follows: One arm 28 of the togglev is pivotally connectedat one end of the slide 22 and at the other end to the other arm 30 ofthe toggle. The toggle is operated by a reciprocating rod 32. The outerend of the arm 30 is not fixed but is supported on a stud 34 on which ispivoted a hub 36 connected by a web 38 with a bearing I on a stud 42which lies below the pivotal connectionbetween the two toggle arms 28and 30. The hub 36 is provided 45 with a gear segment 44 meshing with asegment 46 which is adjustable either manually or automatically by anarm 48. The toggle operating rod 32 is-reciprocated in a definitemovement and the extent of reciprocation of the feed'slide is 50determined by the position of the pivot 34. If the gear segment'is movedin a clockwise direction, the movement of the feed slide is increased,and if it is moved in a counterclockwise direction, the

movement of the feed slide is reduced.

lateral feed motion of the sleeve and awl.

A suitable clamping or locking mechanism, not shown in detail, isassociated with the presserfoot lever It to lock the presser-foot on thework during a feeding movement.

The feeding movement of the work late the left, as viewed from above,and in order to assist the work support and presser-foot in feeding thework, the awl is mounted to move in the direction of feed while in thework. The awl is then retracted and the needle enters the work. Whilethe needle is in the work, the presser-foot is released and thepresser-foot and work support, as well as the awl, are back fed to placethe parts in readiness for the next work feeding operation. The. awl andneedle are shown at 50 and 52 respectively. The needle is arranged-tooscillate in a single plane, but the awl is mounted not only foroscillatory motion, but also for a lateral feeding motion with the worksupport and presserfoot in a manner similar to that described in UnitedStates Letters'Patent No. 1,169,909 to Ashworth, dated February 1, 1916.

The operating mechanisms for the needle and awl may be described asfollows: An arm I, which is fixed to the work support arm ll, carries astud 5' which is threaded in a bearing member or sleeve 6' arranged forboth lateral and rotary movements within fixed brackets 60 and $2 of themachine frame. The sleeve constitutes a hub for the awl. The sleeve isprovided with a semicircular boss or projection 64 from which extends aplate It to which is bolted a clamping plate I, the aw] i. being clampedbetween the plates 66 and I. Surrounding the sleeve at the left sidethereof is a needle guide hub 10 to which the needle guide 12 isattached. The needle segment hub II is journalled on the hub II- andcarries the needle segment Ii over a portion of its periphery. Extendingoutwardly from the hub I4 is a needle clamp I! to hold the .needle 52.From the description thus far, it will be seen that feeding movements ofthe work support arm I I result in corresponding lateral movements ofthe sleeve I8 and consequent lateral movements of the awl with the worksupport and presser-foot.

Rotary motion of the awl is eifected by an awl sector 8. formed on a hub82 which surrounds the sleeve I adjacent to bracket 82. Projecting fromthe left-hand side of the hub '2 is a semicircular boss ll which bearsagainst the semicircular projection of the sleeve.

bears against the left-hand end of the projection 84, thereby preventinglateral movement of the needle guide and the needle. It will be seenfrom Fig. 9 that a space is provided between the projection M of thesleeve and the side of the hub 82, thereby permitting the n The needleand awl segments I6 and I. are operated in the usual manner byoscillating gear segments,

, the operating segment for the awl being illustrated at I in Pig. 1.

To assist in holding the work while the needle is in the work and'thefeeding devices are being back fed, the needle guide I2 is brought intocontact with the work, as shown in Fig. 6. To this end, the needle guidehub is' connected for operation from the needle hub in a manner shownparticularly in Figs. 4 and 6. The needle guide hub II is provided witha depression 92 to receive a detent ball I which is held in an openingof the needle hub I4 by a short leaf spring I! secured to the hub I4 bya screw I. Upon rotation of the needle sector to move the needle intoThe needle guide hub II is provided with a flange as which the work, theneedle guide hub 10 is carried with the needle sector until the guideengages the work, whereupon the ball 94 slips out of the depression 92,so that the needle may continue its movement into the work. while theneedle guide is held in contact with the work, as shown in Fig. 6. Theneedle guide remains in this position during back feeding of the feeddevices. Upon retraction of the needle from the work, the ball isreengaged in the depression 92, and the parts are restored to theposition of Fig. 4.

The work channelling knife 52 which projects upwardly through the usualopening in the work support is stationary during the stitch formingcycle, but is adapted for a retracting motion in conjunction with theedge gauge, as in the machine of my pending application, and also for alateral adjustment in the line of feed in order to position it properlywith relation to the awl and needle, whenever an adjustment is made inthe length of feed.

i For the purpose of the retracting motion, as more fully described inmy co-pending application, the work channelling knife is securedin aslide I82 which is movable axially in a knife bracket I M. The bracket Iis pivoted at I 06 on a fixed part of the machine. To the slide I I2 issecured a pin Illl received within a slot of a bell crank I I0 which ispivoted on the bracket I. The bell crank is operated by a pin I I2 on anedge gauge retracting lever Ill, the outer end of which has a pin IIiconnected with the carriage Ill of the edge gauge I20. The lever H4 ispivoted at I22 and carries at its lower end a cam follower I24 receivedin the groove of a cam I26 mounted for oscillation ona rock shaft I28.Rotation of the rock shaft I2! in a counterclockwise direction resultsin simultaneous retraction of both the edge gauge and the channellingknife.

slide adjusting arm 48, when the arm is shifted from the short stitch tothe long stitch position, as described in my co-pending application.

The adjustment of the channelling knife for diflernt lengths of feed isaccomplished by pivotal movement of the knife bracket I04 about thepivot I06 which, as shown in'Figs. l and 2, is perpendicular to the axisof the knife and so arranged that pivotal movements of the bracketresult in adjustments of the knife in the line of feed within the slotof the work support. The bracket I is provided with an arm I" extendingbelow the pivot I00 and-carrying at its lower end'a roller I 32 receivedin the bifurcated jaws I 34 at the upper end of the bell crank I26. Theinner end of the bell crank is formed with a spiral gear I" meshing witha spiral gear I" formed on the hub ll which, as previously described,constitutes a part of the feed adjusting mechanism. It will be seen thatclockwise motion of the hub 40 to reduce the length of stitch results ina movement of the channellingknife to the left, and a counterclockwisemotion of the hub II to increase the stitch length results in a motionof the knife to the right. The relative positions of the channellingknife, awl and needie for different sewing conditions are shown in Figs.9, l0 and 11. In Fig. 9, the work support position asin Fig. 9, theneedle is in the position formerly occupied by-the awl, and the awl hasbeen moved to a position closely adjacent tothe knife. For along stitch,the positions of the parts at the limit of back'feed are indicatedinFig. 1l.

the limit of its back stroke.

means and the knife torposition the knife in the line of feedimmediately adjacent the awl at 4-. A shoe sewing machine having, incombination, work feeding and stitch forming devices including a workpiercing member movable back and forth in the line of feed, a channelforming knife in the line of feed past which the work is fed; means foradjusting said devices to-vary the length of stitch acting to vary thelimit of the back movement of said member while out of the work, andconnections between said adjusting means and the knife to position theknife immediately adjacent said work piercing member at the limit of itsback stroke.

5. A shoe sewing machine having, in combina- The needle is in the sameplane as in Fig. 10, but Work feeding and Smith forming devices. a

the awl, work support and presser-foot are all moved considerablyfarther to the right. It is,

"by the awl. -is'considerabiy to the right of its position in therefore,necessary that the channelling knife be spaced farther to the right thanfor the short feeding adjustment to prevent its being engaged In Fig.11, the channelling knife Fig. 10. This adjustment of the knife isautomatically effected by the mechanism heretofore described, whereby achange in the feed adjustment makes a simultaneous lateral change in vthe position of the knife. If the adjustment of the present inventionwere not provided, it would benecessary to set the channelling knifepermanently at the position for maximum feedin order to avoid engagementthereof by the awl under any conditions. Such a wide adjustment of theknife, however, would be unsatisfactory for the short stitch conditionof Fig. 10, because the channel cut thereby would not accord .with theline of stitching when sewing around curves of short radius. The presentinvention, therefore, by positioning the channelling knife immedlatelyadjacent to the awl at the limit of back feed, assures proper alignmentof the channel with the line of stitching, regardless of the length ofstroke of the work feeding devices.

The nature and scope of the present invention, and a machine embodyingthe various features in their preferred forms having been described,what is claimed is:

1. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, work feeding and stitchforming devices including a needle and an awl, at least one of which ismovable in the line of feed while engaging the work, a channel formingknife in the line of feed past which the work is fed, means foradjusting said devices to vary the length of stitch, and means formaking a corresponding adjustment of the channel knife along the line offeed.

2. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, work feeding and stitchforming devices, a channel forming knife in the line of feed past whichthe work is fed, mechanism for adjusting said devices to vary the lengthof stitch, and connections from said mechanism for simultaneouslyadjusting the channel knife along the line of feed.

3. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, work feeding and stitchforming devices including an awl, movable back and forth in the line offeed, a channel forming knife in the line "of feed past which the workis fed, means for, adjusting said devices to vary the length of stitchacting to vary the limit of the reciprocating the work support andpresser-foot to feed the work, stitch forming devices including a needleand an awl at least one of which is movable in the line of feed whileengaging the work, a work channelling knife, a pivotal support for theknife for adjustment thereof in the line of feed,

adjusting means for varying the reciprocation of the work support andpresser-foot, and connections between the adjusting means and the knifesupport to position the knife with relation to the stitch formingdevices in accordance wit 'the length of stitch.

7. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a work support, apresser foot, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awlatleast one of which is movable in the line of feed while engaging thework, a toggle mechanism for reciprocating the work support-and presserfoot to feed the work, means for adjusting said mechanism to vary thelength of feed, a work channelling knife, and connections between theadjusting means and the knife to position the knife with relation to thestitch forming devices.

8. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a work support, apresser foot, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl atleast one of which is movable in the line of feed while engaging thework, a toggle mechanism for reciprocating the work support and presserfoot to feed the work including an adjustable arm to vary the length offeed, a work channelling knife, and connections between the adjustablearm and the knifeto position the knife with relation to the stitchforming devices.

' 1 9. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a work support, apresser foot, means for reciprocating the work support and presser footto feed the work, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awlat least one of which is movable in the line of feed while engaging thework, a work channelling knife, adjusting means for varying the lengthof the reciprocating move ments of the work support and presser foot,and connections between the adjusting means and the knife to positionthe knife immediately adjacent said movable member of the stitch formingdevices at the limit of the back feeding stroke.

10. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, a work support, apresser-foot, means for reciprocating the work support and presser-footto feed the work stitch forming devices including an awl movable whileengaging the work with the work support and presser-foot, a workchannelling knife, adjusting means for varying the reciprocatingmovement of the work support, presserfoot and awl, and connectionsbetween the adjusting means and the knife to position the knifeimmediately adjacent the awl at the limit of the back feeding stroke.

11. A shoe sewing machine having, in combination, work feeding andstitch forming devices including a feed slide, a work support and apresser-foot mounted upon the slide arranged to clamp and feed the work,a needle and awl supporting stud, fixed frame arms in which the stud ismounted to move back and forth with the feed slide, an actuatingconnection between the stud and slide, a needle and awl mounted upon thestud, and a connection between the stud and awl causing the awl to moveback and forth with the stud.

12. In a shoe sewing machine, stitch forming devices comprisinga-bearing member mounted for reciprocating and rotary movements, a workpiercing member secured to the bearing member, an operating memberjournaled on the bearing member and having means for rotating thebearing member, a second work piercing member, and a hub therefor on thebearing member.

13. In a shoe sewing machine, stitch forming devices comprising a sleevemounted for reciprocating longitudinal movements, a work piercing membersecured to the sleeve, an operating member journaled. on the sleeve andhaving means for rotating the sleeve, 9. second work piercing member,and a hub therefor journalled on the sleeve.

14. In a shoe sewing machine, stitch forming devices comprising a sleevemounted for reciprocating longitudinal movements, an awl carried by thesleeve, an awl segment. having a hub journalled on the sleeve, and meansfor imparting rotary movements to the sleeve, a needle, a needle hubjouinalled on the sleeve, and means for operating the needle.

15. In a shoe sewing machine, stitch forming devices comprising a sleevemounted for reciprocating longitudinal movements, an awl carried by thesleeve, an awl segment having a hub journalled on the sleeve, the sleevehaving a projection engaged by the hub whereby rotary movements of theawl segment are imported to the sleeve, and reciprocating movements ofthe sleeve with respect to the hub are permitted, a needle hub on thesleeve, a needle carried by the needle hub, and means for retaining thel awl segment and the needle hub against movement longitudinally of thesleeve.

16. In a shoe sewing machine, stitch forming devices comprising a sleevemounted for rotary and longitudinal reciprocating movements, an awlcarried by the sleeve, the sleeve having a projection ofgenerallysemi-circular section, an awl segment journalled on the sleeve andhaving an extended portion engaging with the projection of the sleeve toimpart rotary movements to the sleeve, a needle hub longitudinallystationary on the sleeve, and a needle carried by the needle hub.

1'7. In a shoe sewing machine, stitch forming devices comprising asleeve mounted for rotary and longitudinal reciprocating movements, anawl carried by the sleeve, the sleeve having a projection of generallysemi-circular section, an awl segment journalled on the sleeve andhaving an extended portion engaging with the projec tion of the sleeveto impart rotary movements to the sleeve, a needle guide hub journalledon the sleeve and having a flange engaging the extended portion of theawl segment to retain the hub and segment against longitudinal movement,and a needle hub journalled on the needle guide hub.

18. In a shoe sewing machine, stitch'forming devices comprising aneedle, a needle guide, carriers for the needle and needle guide, meansfor oscillating the needle carrier to cause the needle to enter thework, and connections to oscillate the needle guide carrier from theneedle carrier to engage the needle guide with the work and havingprovision for thereafter permitting continued movement of the needlecarrier.

19. In a shoe sewing machine, stitch forming devices comprising aneedle, a needle guide, carriers for the needle and needle guide, meansfor oscillating the needle carrier to cause the needle to enter thework, and a spring pressed detent connecting the carriers to move theneedle guide into engagement with the work and to permit continuedmovement of the needle thereafter.

20. In a shoe sewing machine, stitch forming devices comprising aneedle, a needle guide, carriers for the needle and needle guide, meansfor oscillating the needle carrier to cause the needle to enter thework, and a detent ball in the needle carrier, the needle guide carrierhaving a depression to receive the ball whereby the needle guide ismoved into engagement with the work by the motion of the needle carrier.

BERNARD T. LEVEQUE.

